RUPEE the black & white ruffed lemur
Rupee loves to sunbathe and thereby help her digestive system

Rupee arrived a few months before Monkeyland opened on April 6th 1998. She came under the mistaken name of Rupert, but it soon turned out that she is very much a female instead. Females rule in lemur societies, and Rupee was the dominant lemur lady at Monkeyland until last year. During her reign, she liked the company of the cheeky male Rasputin, and gave birth to two sets of triplets. However, her life has become more difficult since reaching the ripe old age of eighteen (2006) – the average life expectancy for captive black-and-white ruffed lemurs is around 20 years.

Female lemurs sometimes fight viciously over their social status. A strong young female began harassing the ageing Rupee, since she was vying for Rupee’s massive social power. We removed her due to a large bite wound and returned her when she had healed. However, Rupee didn’t find a place in any group, got permanently harassed, spent much time alone and was forced far away from the feeding platforms. When she sustained another biting injury, we decided that it was time for her to retire.

Now she lives alone, waiting for the Special Monkey Home to be finished. At present her sickly daughter Cleo is keeping her company, but we hope to release the youngster back to the forest as soon as she recovers from her hernia operation. Rupee is the only ex-pet black and white ruffed lemur at Monkeyland; all the others came from zoos or were born here. Therefore, she’s very accustomed to the company of humans and acts almost like a real pet. She’s like a mixture between a dog and a cat, except that her feet are so nimble, it’s almost like she has four hands!

At Monkeyland, touching primates is strictly prohibited. Otherwise visitors would end up getting bitten, diseases can easily be transmitted between humans and non-human primates, and the animals would not focus on establishing normal, healthy primate relationships.

Rupee is a bit of an exception since she’s not returning to the Monkeyland forest anyways. When she is alone in a cage, she receives some grooming from staff members, because she is used to a big social life including both lemurs and humans. Grooming is vital for fur-cleaning and also to secure social bonds. Just like with humans, a lack of touch can result in loneliness and even psychological damage.

In the Special Monkey Home, Rupee would at least have the company of other species of primate, which will provide her with entertainment and perhaps even grooming. Considering that there are currently already 22 black and white ruffed lemurs in our forest, it’s realistic to assume that sooner or later Rupee will be joined by another one of her kind in the Special Monkey Home.